May 05, 2008

Heisman Winner Tim Tebow Circumcises Kids: How did Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow spend his spring break? Performing medical and dental surgeries on impoverished children in the Phillipines -- including circumcisions. "The first time, it was nerve-racking," he said. "Hands were shaking a little bit."

While several one-liners are going through my head, I'll start this thread off on a good note. I think that was a remarkable, and admirable thing to do. Just going to that part of the world requires a fair amount of personal risk, and to involve yourself with the situations they faced just adds to that. That being said, I don't think I'll let him cut on me anytime soon.

I want to stress that I also think that it is admirable that he's giving of himself to help the poor and impoverished, but, whoa, Mr. Tebow has no medical experience. I think it speaks to just how poor and impoverished these folks are that an untrained missionary ends up aiding in some very delicate surgery on their children. Good for you, Mr. Tebow, but holy cats! I hope I'm never in a situation where my Theatre MFA makes me the best qualified person to operate on some kids' junk.

Maybe the article is just short on facts and the circumcisions were necessary to address birth defects or infections or something, but I would be curious to know why they are performing a medical procedure that is largely elective and cosmetic.

That is one of the charities I currently give to Thank You Joey Micheals. I am glad you posted tha link. We have a large amount of Sudanese people in my city, I have become good friends with some of them. I will certainly give to this charity. (My oldest son is Joseph Michael) And on the topic of the main story, I think it is a wonderful thing that we have people like Tim Tebow.

Many circumcisions, especially in third world countries, are done for religious purposes Yeah, or cultural. Most Filipino boys are circumcised not for religious reasons (the vast majority of the population are Catholic) but because it's a tradition in the archipelago. This time of year is "circumcision season". And I'd support the idea that if any of you have any spare money lying around, then Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) is a worthy place to dispose of it. I've worked with MSF in the field, and can vouch for their dedication, as well as the fact that their interventions are well designed, appropriate and culturally sensitive. They are also secular, and don't bring any hidden religious or other agendas with them.

I think it speaks to just how poor and impoverished these folks are that an untrained missionary ends up aiding in some very delicate surgery on their children. A coworker is one organizers for Minnesota Doctors for the Poor, which is an organization of doctors and lay people who go to 3rd world areas (usually Guatemala) and deliver medical assistance to those in the area. To put it nicely, most villages down there don't have any modern medical care in the first place. On top of that, factor that the doctors usually don't speak the native tongue, so you have a translator. Add in that a lot of people from there speak Mayan, so you're now translating between two languages for medical issues. A lot of the time, modern medicine is received in these 3rd world countries when mission groups come in and try to help out. And if there is a proper doctor in the area, he's often covering multiple villages and simply doesn't have the time to see everyone who needs care. It also doesn't help that education is very much luxury so the population doesn't get medical training in the first place. For instance, in one area, there was a single midwife for a few villages. Her delivery station was basically a stone shelf turned into a table, about 1 ft deep by 4 or 5 ft long, and a curtain 2 feet from the table to block the area off from their one room to live in. With a dirt floor and mud walls. I think it is a wonderful thing that we have people like Tim Tebow. Unless you're a UGA fan!

Most impoverished countries do this type of "procedure " to limit risk of infections throughout life due to their overall cleanliness. Its easier to clean a t-shirt then a turtleneck I guess. That would be an interesting Heisman pose.

The Tim Tebows of the world are a refreshing change from the Greg Madduxes of the world. Whoa, there is only one Greg Maddux. I believe when he was in the Philippines, he had a Lorena Bobbitt inspiring quote that was something along the lines of, "You want me to circumcise 'em? Hell, no! But I'll castrate every last one of them."

Kudos to Tim Tebow. It seems that circumcision is a big deal. To Filipinos it is mainly cultural. The practice of circumcision while very common is also performed by mon-medical practitioners. The so called "quack doctors" can do it by simply using a sharp blade and a mallet. One quick hit on the blade and the foreskin is gone. There is no anaesthesia used. The only "medicine" used is boiled guava leaves to clean the wound everyday. So far, my friends grew up without any complications just the same as me who went to the doctor for my circumcision. So, for Tim to do it, actually, anybody with strong stomach can do it! So, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the procedure - you may want to try it someday. We will be going to the Philippines to do medical-dental mission in 3 different cities starting on July 31 to August 16. We do need help both financially, logistically, and personel as well. Email me if you are interested.